Air Crash In New Guinea

A single-engined bi-plane, which was originally owned by Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, and which was being used for freighting by Mr. George Mend ham on the New Guinea goldfields, crashed on Sunday, August 5, when leaving Bulwa ’drome for Wau, with two passengers (Messrs, Sid Wilkins and Fred Marshall).

The machine evidently got into an air

pocket just after rising from the aero drome, and the pilot could not turn, so he made a pan-cake landing on an island in the Watut River, near the No. 3 dredge.

The machine, unfortunately, struck a tree and was smashed, but the pilot and pas sengers escaped serious injury. The aero plane was subsequently conveyed to the P.A.T. workshops, at Wau, for repairs.

It is an excellent move. Papua will find that New Guinea and the Solomons are both at work already, taking whatever steps are necessary to produce only first grade copra.

Rubber For Road-Making.

A very interesting experiment is being made at present, between Queensland and Papuan officials, with a view to ascer taining if it is practicable to use rubber as a road-building material. Mr. Kemp, a roadmaster in Queensland, melted down a quantity of old motor tyres, and tried the resulting material as a top-dressing for a road. Mr. A. P. Lyons, director of works in Papua, heard of this; and, after inquiry, he suggested that tests be made with raw Papuan rubber. In con sequence, Papua has supplied half a ton of raw rubber, which is being tested as a top-dressing on 80 yards of the Ipswich- Brisbane road. It now' has been down 18 months, and is reported to be completely successful —it is as cheap and more easily handled than bitumen, and it does not run into holes, as bitumen does.

Better Grade In Eastern

Papua

“All the planters in this part of Papua are putting in a better class of driers,” said Mr. Aumuller, manager of Burns Philp and Co., Ltd., at Samarai, to a re presentative of the P.1.M., recently. “I am of opinion that within tw'elve months the grade of copra produced wall be so much improved that we shall be justified in claiming a higher price for all shipments from Samarai. That will help the econo mic position considerably, so far as East ern Papua is concerned.”